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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

No Longer Strangers and Aliens by Pastor Jamie

And we're off on another Stepping Stones series of sermons and Bible Study discussions.

On Sunday we had nearly 50 people come down to the Fellowship Hall! That was amazing. Why did so many come? I think that the topic is fresh and relevant. All of us are students of the culture around us as we observe our community, our nation and the world.

We talked about the cycles in the book of Judges and the downward religious and moral spiral that the people experienced because of their sin and stubbornness.

We heard Paul's words of hope to the church in Ephesus as he reminds us that Jesus breaks down the dividing walls of hostility and brings peaceful unity to the culture. It is because of Jesus that there are no longer strangers and aliens.

Is I observe the culture it seems to me that great change has taken place. It used to be that the church and the culture were closely connected. The culture was based on the church and took its signals from the church. Now it seems that the culture is backing away from the church and indeed that the church is taking its signals from the culture.

Our culture is distracted, disaffected, divided and self-determined. It struggles with the reality of violence, terrorism, economic uncertainty and great complexity.

However, I believe that there is great hope in Jesus Christ. I am also convinced that the church is perfectly suited to speak a word of hope and reconciliation to our culture.

How will Sunnyside Church do this? Come and join the conversation...on this blog and on Sunday mornings. I am excited about our future!

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Ephesians 2:19-22

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ himself as the cornerstone.

In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

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Our Guiding Vision

Sunnyside Presbyterian Church was built by God. With Jesus as the cornerstone and the Holy Spirit as our guide, our church is anchored on a solid foundation. Originally established as a mission of Presbyterians in South Bend, Sunnyside was shaped, over the years, by our forebears of faith---members, elders, deacons, and pastors.

Our church was built as a place of worship. With the Holy Trinity central in our gathering, this community of faith roots itself in Biblical scripture and in prayer. We are a loving, caring, vibrant and blessed community. In our life together, we seek God’s wisdom in guiding and designing the framework of our future.

Together we are called to build bridges of faith. We seek to connect people to God’s grace through compassionate, friendly, inclusive, generous, and loving actions. We hear God calling us to deepen relationships among all of God’s people--in our church as well as in our local, national, and global communities. We serve because we want to do God’s work.

We are Christ’s hands and feet and so our vision is to build a reflection of the Kingdom of God here on earth. As disciples of Christ, we listen for God’s call and direction as we seek to welcome, nourish, nurture, and bring hope to all within our church and throughout our community. We are committed to growing our individual and collective faith in order to strengthen our social ministry, thereby empowering those who are in need. Blessed with God’s abounding grace and the love of our congregation, we share peace in the name of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of Sunnyside Presbyterian Church.